U.S. Homeland Security urges computer users to disable Java

[TrainableMan]

Thursday, January 10th, 2013

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security urged computer users to disable Oracle Corp's Java software, amplifying security experts' prior warnings to the hundreds of millions of consumers and businesses that use it to surf the Web.

Hackers have figured out a way to exploit Java to install malicious software enabling them to commit crimes ranging from identity theft to making an infected computer part of an ad-hoc network of computers that can be used to attack websites.

"We are currently unaware of a practical solution to this problem," the Department of Homeland Security's Computer Emergency Readiness Team said in a posting on its website late on Thursday.

Source

There is supposed to be a patch from Oracle to fix some 86 of the known vulnerabilities next Tuesday. Source

 

[The_UX31E_Guy]

Scary, and just the think I was once programming in Java....

 

[ArmasEctos]

But... everything runs Java. EVERYTHING. The installer says so. So if this is true, then Black Hats have officially destroyed computing for the foreseeable future.

 

[realray]

agree.

But... everything runs Java. EVERYTHING. The installer says so. So if this is true, then Black Hats have officially destroyed computing for the foreseeable future.

 

[Core]

I feel funny taking computer security advice from the U.S. government.

 

[TrainableMan]

The NSA probably helped develop JAVA and forgot to tell Homeland Security to be quiet

 

[OldFart]

I agree with you, Core! Not (just Computer Security) advice either.

 

[gerrman]

Can't believe this! I was just learning Java last night! I don't wanna switch....